Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the gaming machine generates a plurality of symbols and evaluates the generated symbols. The gaming machine provides zero, one, or more awards, wherein the awards are based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
Some known gaming machines provide symbols associated with additional functionality in the primary or base game. One such symbol is a wild symbol. Wild symbols provide players with additional opportunities to obtain winning symbol combinations. If the gaming machine generates a wild symbol, the wild symbol enables the possibility of forming one or more winning symbol combinations along a payline that does not display all of the symbols necessary to form a winning symbol combination. That is, the wild symbol can function as any one of a plurality of different symbols missing from a winning symbol combination. For example, if a three reel slot machine generated a heart symbol, a wild symbol, and a heart symbol along a payline on the first, second, and third reels, and the gaming machine awards a player for a three heart symbol combination, the wild symbol substitutes for or functions as a heart symbol and enables the formation of a winning three heart symbol combination. Wild symbols therefore create more winning symbol combinations and lead to more awards provided to players. Thus, wild symbols in gaming machines provide players chances to win and provide additional excitement and entertainment for players.
Gaming machines which provide cascading symbol games are also known. In one such cascading symbol game, a gaming machine generates and displays a plurality of symbols in a plurality of symbol positions. The gaming machine evaluates the displayed symbols and provides an award if a winning symbol combination is formed. The gaming machine then removes all of the displayed symbols that form each of the winning combinations of symbols to create empty symbol positions. The gaming machine shifts zero, one, or more of the remaining displayed symbols into zero, one, or more of the empty symbol positions. If any empty symbol positions remain, the gaming machine generates and displays a symbol for each empty symbol position. The gaming machine reevaluates the displayed symbols and provides an award if any winning symbol combination is formed. The gaming machine repeats the steps of evaluating generated symbols, removing generated symbols, shifting generated symbols, and generating new symbols if winning symbol combinations continue to be formed. There is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines with such features that increase volatility and therefore increase player excitement.